Woven fabric conveyer and like band



Nov. 5, 1935. c. E. GYATT WOVEN FABRIC CONVEYER AND LIKE BAND 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 26, {L934 Fig. 1.

Nov. 5, 1935. c. E. GYATT WOVEN FABRIC CONVEYER AND LIKE BAND Filed Jan. 26, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 5

Patented Nov. 5, 1935 PATENT OFFICE WOVEN memo comma AND m BAND Oeoil Edward Gyatt, North Harrow, England,

minor to Eastman Kodak Company, Rochestel, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 26, 1934, serial No. 708,437 In Great Britain February "I, 1933 2 Claims.

' This invention relates to woven fabric conveyer and like bands such as are used for various purposes, and in particular to those employed for conveying photographic prints and the like over a series of rollers in the course of which the prints are dried.

Experience has proved that it is desirable to employ a full-bodied fabric usually of a twill weave with closely packed weft threadslif a satisfactory drying surface is to be provided, but as in practice such conveyors are apt to move laterally relatively to the rollers over which they pass, it is found that the edges or selvedges'of the band tend to wear out even if the width of the band exceeds the length of the rollers. Ex-

cessive lateral movement of the band as it passes over the rollers is prevented if a rope or cord is secured to each edge of the band, but if theedges are merely made to enclose the rope the fabric tends to pucker or cookie to such an extent that when the reinforced edge passes over small diameter rollers the edges of the band wear out even sooner than when they are not reinforced. The present invention hasfor its object to overcome this culty.

To this end a conveyer or like band according to the present invention comprises a woven fabric band having a rope orcord secured to each selvedge of the band by being. enclosed in a length of fabric in which the warp and weft threads are so arranged that there is no puckering of the fabric which surrounds the rope even when the latter is bent, as in passing over a roller of small diameter. The rope or cord may be secured to each selve dge of the band by a separate- 1y formed woven strip which encloses the rope and is attached to the band at or near the selvedge. Thus, when the rope is bent, as in passing round a roller of small diameter, there is no appreciable buckling of the fabric surrounding the rope.

The fabric surrounding the rope may be arranged with its warp d weft threads inclined to the length of the rope, the fabric being preferably out on the bias. Alternatively each rope may be enclosed in a series of separately formed pieces of fabric each of which encloses the rope 4 and is arranged with its ersthreads approximately at right angles to the length of the rope, a. gap or clearance being preferably left between successive pieces of the enclosing fabric.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 illustrates in plan a short length of a conveyer band embodying one to of the invention.

(cuss-19s) I Figure 2 illustrates on an enlarged scale apart of one 'selvedge of the band shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section, also on an enlarged scale, on the line I1IIII of Figure 1.

Figure 4 illustrates in a mariner similar to that 5 of Figure 2, an alternative form also according to the invention, and

Figure 5 illustrates in plan yet another form of band also embodying the invention.

In the construction illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3 the woven fabric band A constituting the body of the conveyor band is furnished at each selvedge with a reinforcing rope or cord B. Each rope B is enclosed in a strip of twill tape B which is .folded over so as to embrace the rope B and r the selvedge of the .band A slipped between the two selvedges of the tape B and united thereto by two rows of stitching as shown at B As clearly shown in Figure 2 the warp threads C as also the weft threads C are inclined to the go length of the rope B, these threads being, in the construction shown, inclined at an angle of ap-= proximately 45 to the length of the rope. When therefore the band A is passed over a, roller of small diameter so that each rope B is bent on a small radius the enclosing tape B will not tend to pucker or cookie to. any appreciable extent since the inclination of the warp and weft threads will allow these to close together evenly.

In the form illustrated in Figure 4 each of the no reinforcing ropes or cords D is enclosed in a series of short lengths of fabric thewarp threads E of which are approximately at right angles tc-the length of the rope D. A small gap or clearance'E is then left between successive lengths of the enclosing fabric. When a band constructed in this manner" is passed over a roller of small diameter the gaps E between each pair of adjacent lengths of the enclosing fabric allow the fabric to contract on the inside and thus tend to 40 reduce risk of the fabric buckling;

The band F illustrated in Figure 5 is furnished at each selvedge with a rope or cord G which is enclosed by a marginal portion G of the band F. The band is cut on the bias so that the warp and weft threads of the fabric G enclosing each rope are inclined to the length of the rope.

It will therefore be seen that in a conveyor band embodying the present invention the fabric can 5 be curved round quite a small diameter roller without any cockling arising. As a result the edge of the band is satisfactorily reinforced, excessive lateral play is prevented, and there is no tendency for undue wear to take place such as 55 arisu when the thread puckers or buckles as when passing over a small diameter roller.

Certain forms of tape can be satisfactorily used to enclose the rope which reinforces the edges oi What I claim as my invention and desire to a secure by Letters Patent is:--

1. In a conveyer band the combination with a woven fabric band, of a reinforced edge therefor comprising a rope, means for joining the rope and band including a fabric strip having warp and weft threads angularly disposed with respect to said rope whereby relative movement between the band and-rope may take place without puckering.

2. In a conveyer band the combination with a woven i'abric band, 0! a reinforced edge therefor comprising a rope, means for Joining the rope and Band and for holding them in spaced relation in- 10 eluding a fabric strip having both the warp and CECIL EDWARD GYATT. 

